Kerala Kalamandalam Cheruthuruthy
The celebrated Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon established The Kerala Kalamandalam. It was the time when Kathakali was steadily losing its popularity. The great poet was quick to realize the need of keeping the dance form of Kathakali alive. So, the poet took the onus on himself to revive and popularize this form of art. In his efforts, poet Vallathol got the help of some royal Kathakali enthusiasts like Kunjikuttan Thampuran and M. Mukundaraja. These people took great pains to arrange for performances by renowned artists throughout the State and even successfully raised finances through lotteries. Since then, Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur District has been imparting training in its own signature style for Kathakali, Kootiyattam, Mohiniyattom, Panchavadyam, Thullal and others, by way of the ancient system of gurukula.
Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy, 32 km north of Thrissur, is easily accessible by tourists. People traveling by train may use the nearest railway station of Shornur located at a distance of about 10 km to reach here. Overseas travelers can use the Cochin International Airport, lying at a distance of about 90 kms away.
Kerala Kalamandalam and its neighboring areas reveal the pure, simple and cultural atmosphere where the traditional art forms have survived for long. This place has a conventional dance theatre namely Koothambalam. Koothambalam at Kalamandalam is the lone dance theatre in the State which is constructed outside a temple area. Koothambalam is built in accordance with vikrushtra madhya as specified in the article on art by sage Bharatha.
This theatre is 14.62 m in length and 7.31m in width and is supported by four wooden pillars. The three main parts of this theatre consists of the green room named Aniyara, the stage called Rangam and the Mridanga-Patha for keeping the drum. The space in front of the Rangam and beside it is meant for the spectators.
In a nutshell, it can be said that Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy is the cradle that nurtures the traditional forms of art in Kerala. This center of excellence also provides training to master these art forms. In fact, a large number of internationally renowned artistes of Kerala as well as India, have got their training here.
So, make sure to visit Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy on your next visit to Kerala. You will surely love and cherish what you see.
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